The International Cinematographers Guild (ICG, IATSE Local 600) will honor cinematographer/director Lawrence Sher, ASC, best known for his films The Joker and The Hangover series, with the Distinguished Filmmaker Award, presented by Panavision, at the 2022 Emerging Cinematographer Awards (ECA). The event will be held on Sunday, October 2, 2022, at 5pm at the Wolf Theatre in the Television Academy’s Saban Media Center, followed by a cocktail reception. The collection of the 10 ECA-winning short films will also be showcased.
“Lawrence Sher is a visionary cinematographer and director whose impact spans a wide spectrum of film, television, and streaming projects,” said Baird B. Steptoe Sr., national president of the ICG. “We are proud to honor Lawrence with the Distinguished Filmmaker Award for his talents and exemplary contributions to our craft.”
As a cinematographer, Sher has shot over 35 feature films, numerous pilots and hundreds of commercials and music videos in his 30 years in the entertainment industry. Known for such films as The Hangover trilogy, Garden State, Due Date, and most recently Joker for which he was nominated for an Oscar and BAFTA, his films have grossed over four billion dollars in worldwide box office.
Sher’s DC/Warner Bros film Black Adam will be released October 21, 2022. He is currently prepping a future installment of Joker that shoots at the end of this year. As a director, he recently helped kickstart the Peacock original series Rutherford Falls, directing multiple episodes, including the pilot. Sher is on the commercial directors’ roster of production house brother. He is also a board member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC).
In addition to his work as a filmmaker, Sher built the website service Shotdeck.com. After years of prepping for films and needing reference material for research and inspiration in all phases of the production process, he created a site that would be an image database of infinitely searchable shots each keyworded in dozens of categories that would become the definitive visual library of the moving image.
Said Sher, “I’m very grateful to the ECA and the International Cinematographers Guild for this honor. I joined the union as a cinematographer 22 years ago and it was such a special feeling of not just career legitimacy, but also being a part of the union’s support and protections. The ECA has done such a wonderful job shining a spotlight on the next great talents of this fantastic community of filmmakers.”
The chairs of the Guild’s ECA committee are cinematographer Jimmy Matlosz and Steven Poster, ASC, past ICG National President. As previously announced, the 10 winning ECA filmmakers are: Andrew Aiello, Green Cobra; Austin Scott Ahlborg, Lotus; Jac Cheairs, KENOBI: A Star Wars Fan Film; Morgan Gardiner, Molly Robber; Gregor Tavenner, Pleasant Canyon; Jason Chau, Sting; Michael P. Tedford, Elder Scrolls: Legends – E3 Trailer;; Leonard P. Walsh ll, Kingsnake; Eric M. Hurt, Singularity; and Allie Schultz, Your Monster.
Now in its 24th year, the Emerging Cinematographers Awards is the only award show in the industry that specifically celebrates the work of up-and-coming cinematographers, helping to nurture their talent and showcase their work. The Distinguished Filmmaker Award is given to honor an individual for outstanding creative collaboration to the art and craft of filmmaking.
